United States of America ~ Save Me, San Francisco!

My sister and I have this thing that we do whenever we go to a city that has a song attached to it. We did it in Vegas (with the song Waking Up in Vegas), and we did in in San Francisco with the song Save me San Francisco. What we do is we try to find a shop or a radio station playing that song while we’re in that city. Don’t ask me why, it’s just tradition! We actually got really lucky in Vegas, because the song started playing while we were in the airport about to leave!!

Unfortunately, it didn’t happen while we were in San Fran, so we just played it on our iPods instead and rocked out! I’ve linked the song just in case you love it as much as me!

So San Francisco is an amazing city that is full of culture. Fisherman’s Wharf is so fun to roam around, and they have so many touristy things to do, if that’s what you’re into! Also, the Clam Chowder in San Fran…Heaven!

While we were there, we did the really touristy things, like visiting Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Personally, I thought that Alcatraz was amazing! But take note, BOOK IN ADVANCE! We did, and it was really lucky that we did because some people had been queuing there from 4am until 7am! Also, the day that we went was absolutely freezing (because it was in the middle of winter and Alcatraz is on an island), so if you’re going to go in winter, make sure you dress warmly!

Alcatraz Island

When you get to Alcatraz, you can do the audio tour, which is so interesting and really fun. You put on your headphones and the tour navigates you around the island and the prison. It’s really well done and so informative, so if you get a chance to go to Alcatraz on your visit to San Fran, definitely do it!

It was so much fun to take the old trams/ streetcars around the city. They’re more expensive that the ordinary buses, but you can get a day pass which works out well if you take the trams a few times in the day. But bear in mind, the queues are absolutely massive! People don’t take the trams go get somewhere quickly, but because it’s such an awesome experience that is quite unique, it’s very popular! You can get a tram to the top of Lombard Street, which is another tourist destination!

A tram going down the hill to the piers

Personally, I wouldn’t drive down Lombard Street! It’s known the as the Crookedest Street in the world, and in summer there are flowers decorating all of the bends in the street. In winter it’s pretty bare, but it’s still really cool to see what the locals did with a street street to make it more appealing to the eye and less dangerous for drivers!

We drove out to the Golden Gate bridge one day, which was awesome, because I’ve been seeing it in movies my entire life. It’s such an amazing piece of engineering, and it makes great photos!

Lombard Street, the Crookedest Street in the world!

As usual, we also shopped a lot in San Fran. If you’re looking for more to do, Chinatown is always worth a look, and Haight-Ashbury, the hippy area in San Fran is interesting. Golden Gate park is at the end of Haight-Ashbury, and it’s an absolutely massive park that has everything in it from Carousels to Art Galleries! We were lucky enough to come across people learning how to salsa in the middle of the park, which was really fun to see people getting out and getting involved in the free classes!

San Francisco is an amazing city, and I’d love to go back someday, because I’m certain there is way more to see!